


I'm Here to Take You Now

by paininthecass



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Asexual Jonathan Sims, Canon Asexual Character, Everyone Is Alive, First Kiss, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Jon has panic disorder because I have panic disorder, M/M, Post-Episode: e159 The Last, Set in Episodes 159-160 | Scottish Safehouse Period, mom said its my turn to project onto fictional characters, no beta we die like men, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-30
Updated: 2020-04-30
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:40:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23922481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paininthecass/pseuds/paininthecass
Summary: Martin and Jon hear scratching at their door. On unexpected guests, hard conversations, long nights and the support of those who love you.This is really soft and a lot longer than I thought it was going to be.
Relationships: Martin Blackwood/Jonathan Sims
Comments: 15
Kudos: 189





	I'm Here to Take You Now

**Author's Note:**

> The title is from 'Daughters of the Soho Riots' by the National. It's a really good song you should check it out.

It was a month after they arrived at Daisy’s safehouse that they first heard the scratching. It came from low on the front door and was insistent.  
The first time it happened, so shaken with what may be following them, Jon and Martin found themselves barricaded themselves in the windowless bathroom.

“Can’t you use your magic eye powers to see what’s out there?!” Martin asked fear curling the edges of his words, while again checking that the door was secure.

“It’s not that simple, I can- I can see that whatever it is is looking at the door, I can see its claws carving into the wood.” Jon was sitting on top of the sink with his head resting against the mirror, eyes scrunched with the effort of seeing. 

“I just thought, with how Elias-no, Jonah… I’m sorry.” Martin pushed his glasses up and rubbed at his eyes with the palms of his hands, “I’m just, I’m scared. I thought we would be safe from this finally.” He sighed.

“I know, if it is any consolation it doesn’t seem to be able to break down the door, it appears to be rather small from how big the door looks.” Jon cast a glance at Martin who was now sliding down the wall to sit on the tiled floor. He doesn’t deserve to look so tired Jon thought. 

Martin didn’t respond with anything other than hum and leaned his head back. Jon reached out his hand and Martin took it in his. Since leaving the Lonely holding Martin’s hand in his and they now found themselves hard-pressed to not be touching always in some way now. 

Soft hands pressed to backs when one needs to move behind the other, feather-light kisses pressed to temples while walking past the other, tangled legs on the old couch. It was a new world for both of them, where touch was meant to soothe, not harm for the first time in a very long time. 

And yet still they found themselves trapped in the bathroom while some new creature tried to get into their respite. It all seemed horrendously unfair. 

After a while, Jon could tell the creature had moved on, and could no longer see the safehouse through its eyes. Neither wanted to leave the apparent safety of the bathroom though and they found themselves sitting side by side in the bathtub, legs hanging over the edge brushing the floor.

“I wish we had brought, anything in here with us,” Martin said, staring at the door across the bathroom. Neither had a watch and there was no signal here so they had taken to not carrying their phones around anymore, leaving them with no sense of what time it was. The light that came beneath the door to the bathroom had gone, so night must have fallen.  
“I would have thought you would be used to this, with Prentiss laying siege against your apartment for two weeks with no phone,” Jon replied, it was meant to be a joke but his words were dry. 

“In my apartment, I had a bookshelf, and a kitchen even played a few board games by myself.” Jon laughed at that. “Listen if you were trapped in your apartment waiting to get eaten by worms I’d like to see what activities you come up with Jonathan. Anyways, at least then I had more than a dusty old tub and an empty medicine cabinet to pass the time.” 

“That’s, uh, that is fair, I guess.” Jon stammered out, rubbing his fingers over Martin’s knuckles. He had meant the conversation to lighten the mood but remembering how Martin had run into his office the day he had escaped his apartment, disheveled and eyes wide with terror, it hurt to remember. Especially considering that Jon had been the cause of the event in the first place, sending him off on his own. 

“What are you thinking about, you only make that face when something is bothering you,” Martin said, squeezing Jon’s hand in his own. The stark difference in Jon’s boney long fingers and burn-scarred palm versus Martin’s large and soft hands was striking and Jon chose to focus on that instead of answering. They had already talked through how poorly Jon had treated Martin in the beginning, but it still ate away at him. Martin let go of his hand and turned to face Jon, as well as he could within the confines of the tub at least. “Jon, please tell me.”

“I just, I should never have sent you to go look into that statement on your own. I knew it was dangerous and I still did it, and then you were gone for two weeks, and Elias told me it was fine even though I knew it was not and I still didn’t check and god you must have been so scared and alone and,” At that Martin, kind, beautiful Martin, shushed him.

“Jon, Jon, it’s okay. We’ve already talked this through. Yes, I was upset, and it did hurt. But when I got back you believed me, and you let me stay in the archives. I thought at most you would give me an evening off. And hey, hey,” Martin pressed his forehead against Jon’s, “You are better now, you were under immense stress. You are better now.” Jon nodded and moved his head from Martin’s forehead to his shoulder, Martin placed a kiss to the crown of his head.

They sat like that for a while, neither slept that night, and the scratching didn’t return. Only once the first beams of light shown under the door did they get up from the tub, joints creaking after sitting for so long. 

Jon checked the front door and Martin checked the back, nothing out there. There were light scratches near the bottom of the wood. The brown of the wood showing through the light blue of the door’s paint. The marks were not as deep looking now than they had seemed through the creature’s eyes. Neither was keen on spending the day in the house after being trapped in the bathroom so they walked to the village. 

“You know, if the height of the scratches is an accurate indicator of how big this creature is, there is a chance it is just some regular wild animal. We could buy a trap for it?” Martin posed this question as they stood in one of the general stores.

“That’s actually, a really good idea, let’s see if they have any.” 

They ended up having to search through many of the small shops in the village but came across some traps in the local farming depot. Martin insisted on it being a humane trap, with how upset he got if Jon killed even a spider he let it happen. Purchase made and trap in hand they headed back to the safe house. 

Jon set to work getting the trap set up hidden in one of the bushes out front, while Martin got out some leftover chicken to leave as bait. Trap set they settled into the living room. There was no television, Daisy had apparently only kept the bare essentials here, so they usually spent their evenings reading on opposite sides of the couch. 

Usually.

Tonight they were sitting at the kitchen table, eyes glued on the door, waiting to see if the scratching would start again. Martin had made tea but the mugs sat cold next to their hands. 

“Martin, it’s back,” Jon warned, closing his eyes so he could see through the creatures. Again it was looking at the door as it approached. Beside him, he felt Martin tense, as they both strained their ears.

The scratching started up again and they both held their breath. Jon had stopped looking through the creature’s eyes to keep an eye on Martin and how the door was holding up. The scratching stopped but before they had a chance to settle from that, metal clanged against metal as the trap swung closed. 

Jon gingerly left his seat and motioned to Martin to stay put, he would not put him in any more danger, and slowly walked to the door. He closed his eyes to look through the creatures and saw leaves and metal, it was caught. 

He flipped the switch and the outside light turned on and opened the door. Within the trap sat a cat. A very, very, fat cat.

Jon could have cried, hell, he might have. 

“Jon! Jon what is it?!” Martin yelled, seeing Jon slump against the doorframe and ran over. “Is that? Is that a cat? Did we spend a night in the bathroom over a cat?” Martin was laughing and bent over to let the cat smell his hand. 

The cat obliged and rubbed its head against the side of the cage, it’s girth making it hard for it to move. Martin gently picked up the cage and brought it inside, setting it on the kitchen table. In the light, Jon could make out the cat’s markings better. It was an orange tabby with white splotches on its chest and legs, bright green eyes looked back into his. Jon couldn’t help it, he melted, he had always had a soft spot for cats. 

They opened the door to the trap and the cat slowly stepped out, it seemed curious about its surroundings, lifting its head to smell the air and flicking its ears about. 

“Jon, what are we supposed to do with this cat, what if it belongs to someone?” Martin was already fussing over their guest, gently patting it.

“I think for a night it will be okay here, in the morning we can go into town and announce we found it, maybe the owners will show up.”

“I almost hope they won’t, a pet could be nice.”

Jon hummed in agreement, the ball of worry in his chest he had had unraveling as he watched Martin and the cat. He realized he had never seen Martin really interact with an animal, other than the dog he had brought into the archive so long ago, and found himself entranced by how he cooed over the thing.

“Jon, you’re staring.” Martin had picked up the cat and was looking at him, a smile reaching his eyes. 

“I haven’t seen a cat since The Admiral, let alone a cat so, so b i g.” Jon said, a warm blush spreading from his neck. 

“Oh, so you’re a cat person then?”

“Something of the like.”

“Hmm.” Martin replied, burying his face into the cat, it didn’t last long, he pulled his head back and wrinkled his nose, “God you stink!”

“Should we? Give it a bath?”

“I am going to save you finding out yourself that the answer is a certain yes.”

“My valiant knight.” Martin rolled his eyes and smiled.

“I’ve never washed a cat before? Don’t they not like water?” Martin was walking towards the bathroom, cat in arm.

“You need special soap to actually clean them, human soap is bad for their skin, not to mention-” Jon started on a tangent.

“Jon, you’re doing it again.” Martin cut in before Jon could start on the entire Wikipedia article on the harms of regular shampoo on a cat.

“Oh,” Jon rubbed the back of his neck, “I think I saw some Dawn under the sink, it should be safe enough.” Jon turned around and rummaged in the cabinets for the soap, in the background he could hear Martin turn on the tap and softly talking to the cat. Jon walked back and leaned against the doorframe, just watching.

Martin had rolled up the sleeves to his worn jumper and was kneeling by the tub, while the cat was standing, yowling in the water. Martin was chastising the thing about being fussy and rubbed its legs with water.

“I found the soap, and I also grabbed a cup, to pour water over it.” Jon finally spoke up from behind.

“Oh good idea, can you start rubbing it with soap while I pour the water?” Martin didn’t turn around, he just continued talking to the cat. Jon walked over, passed the cup, and rolled up his sleeves as well. 

They worked well together, scrubbing grime from its swollen belly, taking turns trying to catch it before it could escape the water. By the time they were done they were soaked head to toe along with the cat, but where the cat was meowing sadly they were laughing.

Jon wrapped the cat in towels while Martin created a bed in the corner of the bedroom out of an extra duvet in the closet and some pillows from the couch. Jon left while Martin changed, they hadn’t set any out loud boundaries yet but watching him change seemed, too intimate. 

In fact, they hadn’t actually had any discussion about the new direction their relationship was taking. Jon was afraid that if he brought it up Martin would stop, and after so long just watching him and then losing him he did not want to lose his sweet temple kisses or back rubs, or how his face softened when he looked at him. No, Jon decided he wouldn't say anything yet, and finished toweling down the cat.

“Keat’s bed is all set,” Martin shouted from the bedroom.

“Keat’s?” Jon replied, picking up the cat.

“I just thought, it was going to need a name, we can’t keep saying ‘it’.” Martin looked sheepish.

“All due respect, I will not allow this creature to be named Keats.” Jon put the cat in the bed, which it smelled and pawed at. 

“Well if you have any better ideas I am all ears.”

Jon paused, he didn’t have any better ideas, but he would be damned if the cat’s name would be Keats of all things. He considered the fat orange cat that was now kneading at the blanket that made up its makeshift bed.

“OJ?” Jon blurted.

“OJ? Why?” Martin laughed.

“Like, orange juice, because it’s orange.” Jon was refusing to look Martin in the eyes. If  
you have anything other than Keats then you can speak up.”

“No actually, I think I like it.” Martin bent over and scratched newly named OJ behind the  
Ears. “OJ.” He said again like he was testing how it felt in his mouth. 

Jon grabbed dry clothes and left the room to change in the bathroom. They hadn’t had time to stop at both’s apartments to grab clothes and Martin lived closer so the only clothes they had other than what they had come in were Martin’s. Jon had always been somewhat small and scrawny, but he had to tie the pyjama bottoms he had taken as tight as they could go and yet they still slid down his waist. The jumper he grabbed would have worked better as a blanket than a shirt on him. Despite the size, every time he wore them it filled him with such comfort. 

He stared at himself in the mirror. God how he had aged so much in such a short period of time. His long dark hair now streaked with grey, dark circles permanently under his eyes and pale scars that stood out against his dark skin. He barely recognized himself anymore. 

“Jon where is- are you okay?” Martin walked into the bathroom and wrapped his arms around Jon’s waist. 

Jon ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. “I look like I've been through hell.”

“Well Jon, you have.” Jon looked at Martin’s arms wrapped around him, counting the scars from the worm attack against his own that spread on his face. Martin had the advantage of being very pale, his scars didn’t stand out like his own. Martin rested his head atop Jon’s.”We both have.” 

Jon leaned back into Martin, letting the warmth of the clothes and the embrace seep into him.”Yes, I guess we both have.”

“We should go to bed, lots of work to do to find if OJ has a worried owner.” Martin pressed a kiss to his head and pulled Jon away from the mirror by his waist. Jon let himself get pulled away and turned off the light as they left.

OJ had apparently decided that the bed on the floor was not good enough for them and set themselves up at the foot of the bed. The magnificent girth taking up almost a quarter of total bed space. The bed creaked with Jon and Martin settled down into it but OJ didn’t even flick their ears at the disturbance, just stretched out their paws.

Jon hadn’t actually slept for a very long time pre-this. Upon telling Martin this though he could see the pity fill his face, and resigned to trying. The first few nights had been hell, nightmares, and other awful things filling the short bursts of sleep he got. About five days into their situation Jon had had a panic attack, the worst one he had had in a while. It lasted for two hours of him shaking and screaming and crying. When he finally came out of it he saw Martin holding him, also crying. From then on if Jon felt something like that coming on he could gently poke a sleeping Martin until the man raised his arms and Jon could snuggle in. Martin would softly stroke his hair until he calmed down and they both fell asleep. The nightmares were still there but somehow in Martin’s embrace, they could be managed. 

Now they had progressed to just beginning the night wrapped in each other's arms someway or another. Tonight especially, with OJ’s warmth by his feet and Martin snoring softly in his arms sleep came kindly. 

Morning came with a shift in the bed as Martin got up, he whispered something to OJ, who was still by the end of the bed and went to the kitchen. Jon lay there with his eyes closed soaking in the warmth of the morning, allowing the last dregs of sleep to leave his mind before he also sat up himself. 

He walked into the kitchen and sat at the kitchen table, watching Martin work. 

“Tea?” Martin asked, already setting down a mug in front of Jon. “I figure we can go to the village after breakfast and ask to put up some notices about the cat.” 

“Sounds good, we should also get actual pet supplies. We don’t know how long our guest will be with us.” At that OJ ambled into the kitchen and rubbed against Martin’s legs, they also seemed sleepy, stretching, and yawning. Jon smiled and leaned down to pet the cat.

Martin set down a plate with some more of the leftover chicken for OJ and for himself and Jon some toast. 

After getting dressed they set off into the roads for the village. It was colder out in the open than it had seemed and both were hurrying against the wind, laughing while the other shivered. Once in the town they split up and spoke to shopkeepers and restaurant managers about the cat they had found and asked if they would tell people, and left the address to the safehouse with them. 

Meeting back up they bought a litter box, litter, some actual cat food, a cat bed, and some toys. It was heavy lugging it back to the safe house without a car, and both needed breaks, but they made it back alright.

OJ was asleep curled up on the couch, and ran to the door once it was opened, yowling and running between their legs. 

Litter box set up, cat bed properly placed in the corner, and two bowls for food and water got a special place and mat on the floor. OJ was officially moved in. 

As days passed no one came forward to claim the cat, and that was no problem for Jon and Martin, who adjusted to life with the beast quickly. 

The cat had taken a special interest in Martin, much to Jon’s chagrin. Where Martin went OJ followed, when he sat OJ was there to sit in his lap. God forbid Martin close the door to take a shower, OJ would sit outside the door to the bathroom and scream like the world was ending. That’s not to say it ignored Jon, at night OJ always slept next to Jon, if he was lucky the fat cat would lay right next to his head and purr with the power of a car engine, almost shaking the bed.

Another evening passed languidly and Jon and Martin found themselves on the couch once again, Jon with his back pressed to Martin’s chest, and OJ passed out on their legs. Martin wrapped his arms around Jon and gave OJ a pat on the belly. “Do you think we’ll get to keep OJ? I mean, it’s been a good while now and no one has been looking for them.” Martin said.

“I think so. At this point if someone was looking for a cat we’d know, the village isn’t exactly large.” Jon replied.

“That makes sense.” Martin moved his hands away from OJ and loosed Jon’s hair from the messy bun it had been in. And deft fingers started combing through it, slowly braiding. Jon leaned into the touch and sighed.

“Martin, we should talk about what we are.” The words left his mouth before he realized he had thought them and Martin’s fingers froze mid-braid. “I don’t want you to do this out of pity, I know you had a feeling for me and it is okay if you don’t anymore-”

“Jon, Jon stop.” Martin cut in. “I never stopped loving you, this isn’t out of pity. I really love you, I think I always have.”

Jon was silent, he got up and turned around, his movement woke up OJ and they jumped down from the couch. Jon gently sat, legs on either side of Martin. “I was so bad to you, you deserve so much better, I love you too Martin, I just, god, Martin I want you to be happy.”

“Jon, I am happy. Being here? With you? This is the happiest I have ever been I think.” Martin brought his hands to cup Jon’s face, rubbing a thumb along his cheekbone.

Leaning into the touch, “Me too.” Fell from Jon’s lips, almost a whisper. Jon felt Martin sit up beneath him so that they were nose to nose. He could feel Martin’s hot breath against his face. 

“Can I kiss you?” Martin pressed their foreheads together and looked down at his lips. Jon surged forward, hoping that would be enough of an answer. Martin met him in the middle and all but sighed into his mouth. 

Jon was not, inexperienced, when it came to kissing. He had dated before, had certainly kissed people before. Nothing could compare to how it felt to kiss Martin. Warm hands slid into his hair and undid the half-finished braid and Jon braced himself against Martin by placing his hands on the other’s chest. Martin’s lips were chapped, but still oh so soft, and Jon could taste the tea he had had earlier. 

They kept at it for a while, exploring the other, it was soft, it was warm, it felt like coming home. If time had stopped right then Jon wouldn't have minded. He moved his hands to cup Martin’s face and Martin slid his hands down his sides and pulled him closer. The kiss deepened for a while and Jon reluctantly pulled away.

“Was that-, I’m sorry was that too much.” Martin looked embarrassed. 

“No, no it was perfect. I just, I don’t want to lead you on. I’m asexual.” Jon was fiddling with the front of his shirt.

“Oh Jon, I wasn’t, I wouldn’t. Georgie mentioned it, I know.” Martin was rambling.

“And you don’t mind?” Jon looked Martin in the eyes, he had been let down by partners before, upset that they couldn’t ‘go all the way’ with him. 

“I don’t care at all. Jon, I was in love with you before you even thought of me as anything more than an annoyance.” Jon winced at that. “I personally like sex, but if you don’t want to then we don’t have to. I am happy just to be here with you. I don’t want you to do anything that makes you uncomfortable.” Martin took Jon’s hands. Jon smiled, and leaned back into Martin, stealing another kiss. 

God, he could do this forever. Softly kiss the man he loved while the sun cast pink shadows in the windows. OJ had found a good spot on the loveseat and was purring away in the background. As far as Jon was concerned. This was heaven.

They lay on the couch for a while longer, basking in each other's company, stealing kisses intermittently. Once the sun had set completely and the living room was completely dark they got up and headed to the bedroom. The same nightly routine as before, but now each step was punctuated with a kiss. Brushing teeth? A minty flavored kiss by the sink, setting OJ up at the bottom of the bed? A kiss to the palm of the hand. Once they were both in the bed proper and facing each other Martin leaned forward and pressed a long kiss to Jon’s lips, his hands brushing loose strands of hair away from his face. 

And so life continued, same as before, and no one came to steal OJ away from them. Days were now filled with kisses as they made up for lost time. Nights still were hard, with nightmares and panic attacks still being present. But life was good. As it turned out, OJ was not just fat, OJ had been pregnant. Jon and Martin had woken up one morning to find OJ had stolen the tub and given birth to three kittens in the night. 

Seeing as Jon got to name OJ, Martin has successfully argued to be the one to name the kittens. He had cheated though, as every time Jon tried to argue he’d kiss the words out of his mouth.

“How about ..., Silken, Wilde, and Sappho?” Martin said, petting OJ.

“Are you really going to name our children after the first three gay poets you could think of?” Jon laughed.

“I think they are fine names! And you got to name OJ!” Martin was blushing, scratching the back of his neck.

“Fine, but who is who,” Jon said, gesturing at the three kittens mewing at their mother's stomach. 

“I think the little black chap on the left seems devious, he can be Wilde. The small one in the middle, the cream one, she can be Sappho.”

“That leaves the fat one to be Silken then?” Jon sat next to Martin on the floor.

“You can’t call our kids fat! They’re just babies!” Martin laughed covering Silken’s small ears.  
“You certainly made enough fun of OJ for being tubby if I remember correctly.” Jon retorted, smirking.

“That’s different.”

“Is it?”

“Yes.” Martin punctuated this statement with a kiss to Jon’s cheek. 

“Hmmm.” They sat in silence for a while, watching OJ take care of her kittens.

“What are we going to do with four cats? We didn’t even mean to get one!” Martin said after a while.

“Well, we could put them up for adoption, see if anyone in the village needs a new barn cat.”

“You’d let our kids be barn cats?!” Martin responded again shielding the kittens from Jon as if that would do anything. “I think we should keep them.”

“Four cats? In this small house?” Jon raised his eyebrows, imagining the mess. But Martin was looking at him, and he was giving him that face. Jon already knew he was going to give in, he sighed, “I guess it would liven up the old house.” The smile Martin gave him right then was well worth whatever disasters four cats would certainly bring. 

Perhaps unsurprisingly OJ remained fat even after having her kittens. Jon and Martin found their bed now filled with four cats every night, and as they grew they took up more and more space, forcing Jon and Martin even further into each others arms, not that they minded.

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't written fanfiction since my Hetalia phase in middle school (I am in college now) so if it sucks I am sorry. I hope you enjoy!


End file.
